The reveal of the 68 teams participating in the 2026 NCAA tournament is less than 24 hours away.
Selection Sunday will answer questions about who’s in, who’s out, and who the 1-seeds are. Filling out brackets will follow.
The Final 1-Seed Debate
The NCAA selection committee, consisting of 12 members and chaired by Keith Gill, will discuss burning questions. A legitimate debate emerged for a few hours. Florida was heading toward a final 1-seed entering Champ Week.
Florida won 11 straight games to end the regular season. UConn lost at a sub-.500 Marquette in the regular-season finale, and Houston lost three in a row late in February. Florida then lost to Vanderbilt in the SEC semifinals.
UConn and Houston both lost to 1-seeds in their respective title games. All logic points to Florida joining Duke, Michigan and Arizona on the top line.
Duke’s Case for Top Overall Seed
Duke held off Virginia in the ACC title game. The Blue Devils are on track for the top overall seed. This is despite recent injuries to Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II.
Duke is No. 1 in the NET, in the BPI, at KenPom and BartTorvik. Michigan is ranked No. 1 in the other three metrics, and Duke beat them on a neutral court in Washington, D.C., just a few weeks ago.
- Duke have 10 Quad 1A wins
- 17 Quad 1 wins
- 23 Quad 1 and 2 wins
Duke’s only two losses came in the final seconds against Texas Tech and North Carolina.
A loss to Virginia could have made it a debate, and the Cavaliers made it interesting. It’s hard to imagine anyone jumping Duke.
Miami’s Unbeaten Run and Tournament Chances
Miami’s perfect record ended in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament after falling to UMass. This was the RedHawks’ first loss in 32 games. The RedHawks finished the regular season at 31-0, and the consensus seems to be that the committee won’t leave out a team that went unbeaten in the regular season. Their résumé metrics are impressive, with a top-40 Wins Above Bubble mark and a top-30 Strength of Record.
There’s reason to believe they could end up in Dayton.
Travis Steele’s team does not have a typical at-large résumé. The RedHawks’ strength of schedule is No. 340; their nonconference strength of schedule is No. 363; they have more Quad 3 losses (one) than Quad 1 wins (zero); and their best wins are over Wright State and Akron. Their predictive metrics are also by fa
The 68 teams playing in the men’s 2026 NCAA tournament will soon be revealed.